Restaurant Review: Green Bar Cafe in Westgate Center, Alabang

I was invited by Aldous of Aldous Ate the World to join other bloggers in a food-tasting event he organized. The destination? A new vegan café in Alabang. I can proudly say that I am very conscious of what I eat. Although I munch on junk food and occasionally resort to eating in fast food restaurants, I still make sure that I have my dose of fruits and vegetables. It’s not easy. So imagine my admiration for those who strictly follow a specific diet, let’s say vegans, for example. I absolutely can’t do it, but I was so curious as to what they eat and how it tastes. There is this stereotypical idea that anything healthy does not taste good. Well, Green Bar Café is here to prove this idea wrong.

Green Bar Café is located inside the Beyond Yoga Building in Westgate Center, Alabang. It is the brainchild of three sisters, Michelle, Jaderani and Sarada. They are franchisees of Beyond Yoga, which has been operational for a year. They decided to open Green Bar because they wanted the place to be a one-stop shop for yoga and fitness enthusiasts. The café just opened last month so I was lucky enough to be one of the bloggers who had first dibs of their menu.

I absolutely love the minimalist black, white and green vibe of the place. Just looking at the cozy place is very relaxing. And coming from a bookworm like me, the bookshelf is indeed a nice touch. I seriously want every restaurant to have a bookshelf. But nowadays, people care more with a place having free and fast internet more than books. So in case you're curious, the place has free internet, too! Haha! =)

The first thing I tried was the Vegan Pizza. It’s not yet on the menu, so I guess we were the first to try it out! I was having second thoughts in trying it out because I am so accustomed to eating pizza with overflowing toppings. I reluctantly took a bite, and I surprisingly loved it! The pizza sauce has the perfect acidity. And that oozing mozzarella cheese nailed it!

Vegan Pizza

Next I tried was the Cuban Burrito. From the looks of it, it seems like there are a lot of things going on in this burrito. It has red rice, black beans and fried plantains to name a few. Michelle told us that this is a big hit probably because people are reminded of Arroz ala Cubana. And I have to agree with her. The fried plantains added a hint of sweetness to balance out the strong flavors of the burrito.

Cuban Burrito PHP200

Their Breakfast Burrito has scrambled tofu, roasted potatoes and seitan sausage. It’s like eating a healthier version of scrambled eggs, hash brown and hotdogs. How genius is that?!

Breakfast Burrito PHP220

Aside from burritos, Green Bar also offers different kinds of sandwiches. And I just have to say that the two sandwiches I tried are delicious. The first sandwich I got to try was the Sweet Basil. It’s such a simple sandwich with just sweet basil, grilled tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Everything in this sandwich tastes so fresh that you wouldn’t even try to look for ham or bacon! The tomatoes are very sweet which balanced out the stronger taste of the basil. And of course, anything becomes divinely delicious with mozzarella cheese!

Sweet Basil PHP200

Now, here’s my favorite. Hail Seitan! When Michelle was discussing their menu, I initially thought it was HAIL SATAN! I was like, “Satan, what?! Is this a restaurant or a cult?” I then looked at the menu and realized that it’s actually SEITAN. Silly me! Haha! They explained to us that seitan comes from wheat. The protein of the wheat is being produced by continuously massaging it until it becomes glutinous. (I hope I got the explanation correct. Haha!) I found myself nodding in amazement at this discovery. A mock sausage that tastes like real sausage? What kind of sorcery is this?! Haha! Anyway, the sandwich has caramelized onions, which gave the sandwich that distinct sweet and tangy flavors. I like putting caramelized onions in my burger that’s why this sandwich blew me away.

Hail Seitan PHP350

I have come to know chia seeds from the fitness enthusiasts I follow on Instagram. Known to be an antioxidant and a good source of fiber and various nutrients, Green Bar decided to offer snacks with chia seeds. The first is the Chia Fruit Cup. It has fresh fruits, granola and tons of chia seeds. It’s a perfect and healthy way to jumpstart one’s morning.

Chia Fruit Cup PHP150

And then there’s The Baller. It has oats, almond butter, dates, chia seeds, flax seeds, goji berries and nuts. It looks like a piece of Fererro Rocher, and it almost tastes like one! It’s sweet, but totally guilt-free.

The Baller PHP75

Green Bar Café also offers cupcakes. Yes, cupcakes! Vegan cupcakes!!! Their cupcakes are dairy-free, but they still taste like real cupcakes. They have managed to achieve the same moist texture of the usual cupcakes without the use of dairy. I don’t know how they do it, but they do it very well! Clap, clap, clap!

Chocolate Hill

Chocolate Hill is a chocolate cupcake (Duh, obviously! Haha!) with peanut butter cream topping. I could clearly taste the sweet and salty peanut butter. I can eat this without feeling any guilt at all.

Havana is a vanilla cupcake with vegan whipped cream filling. The filling is not that sweet, making this perfect for those who don't like eating cupcakes that cause tonsilitis because of too much sweetness. :p

Havana

Bourbon Street is a chocolate cupcake topped with "bacon". Green Bar deceived me once again because they used coconut to mimic the taste and texture of bacon. Haha! =)

Bourbon Street

Green Bar has partnered with The Skinny Juicery to supply them with bottled juices. The sisters told us that the juices are delivered every morning. As a matter of fact, their shelf didn't have bottled juices when we arrived. These were just delivered while the owners were discussing the menu to us. :)

The Skinny Juicery

It seems like everybody loved Green Bar’s food that one of the bloggers in the event asked the owners whether they have plans of branching out. According to them, their short-term plan is to have their food available in other Beyond Yoga branches but only for advanced orders. I really do hope that this pushes through. I am not turning vegan anytime soon, but Green Bar Café just proved to me that even vegans have the right to have gastronomic adventures, too!

The three pretty sisters behind Green Bar Cafe! Thanks for having us. :)